Inevitable Intersection
by Casa Circe
Summary: ESCAFLOWNE WEEK 2017 Day Five: Inertia / Those Who Wander. Two people embark on different journeys, but Gaea is a small world, and everyone eventually crosses paths.


**ESCAFLOWNE WEEK 2017, Day 5: Inertia / Those Who Wander**

 ** _Inevitable Intersection_**

 **NOTE:**

 ** _Another great prompt to work with and this time I decided to go with my other fave ship in Escaflowne. Still a crack ship of sorts but it's been a couple of years and Merlandau has gained some serious status in my fangirling. The more I think about it, the more I'm intrigued by their dynamic._**

 ** _And I had to do a bit of research on the geography of Gaea for this one, and I really wish we got to explore the other countries of that world. Luckily, we have fan fiction to fill in the gaps of our knowledge and to help enrich our imaginations. And since there wasn't enough information, I took certain liberties with the source material._**

 ** _Anyway, this isn't going to be explicitly shippy. It's set years after the series and both of them have made journeys of their own. Their paths eventually cross and there's potential for things to develop, whether romantic or platonic. Just a one-shot for now but I am quite fond of this set up and may consider it for future, longer fics if I am ever inclined to write those._**

 ** _Enjoy and please let me know what you think!_**

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 _Dilandau Albatou sat by the fire he had made, his brow furrowed in thought as he consulted his map and decided on his next destination. Several places had already been crossed out and marked, so used was his map of Gaea. He made a mental note to acquire a newer version as soon as he had the chance._

 _But given that he was currently camping in the woods near the mountain ranges of Daedalus, there were slim chances of finding any place with enough supplies. Not that he minded. The mountains would be difficult to traverse but at least he was not likely to be gravely attacked. While there were tales of bandits in this part of the world, they often targeted caravans and carriages of rich folk who were foolish enough to travel without adequate security. No one would bother trying to rob a lone traveler with meager belongings._

 _His enemies were closing in and he needed to put as much distance between them as possible. He had barely escaped with his life at the port of Cesario where he had boarded a ship that had taken him to Daedalus. Three years of exile and he was still being hunted, and he was growing tired of the constant travelling and looking over his shoulder. But he had no choice. He could not afford to stop moving._

 _Although Dilandau had often prided himself on his reputation as a fearsome warrior, the last few years had taught him the value of anonymity. His reputation had gotten him in trouble many times and he preferred to avoid the dangers now, if it could be helped. The first year or so he had sought out perils, and he had welcomed those that had happened to him. He constantly itched to fight, to feel the way the blood pumped into his veins when he was faced with an impressive opponent._

 _For the first year or so, he had fought his way through everything, challenging anyone who still wanted to blame him for all the atrocities of Zaibach. He had had to fend off furious people whose homes he had destroyed with his guymelef and he had had to escape their revenge. His own determination to survive, despite everything, had kept him going despite all that had befallen him._

 _But this was not a sustainable lifestyle. At length, he had changed, and the constant travelling had sobered him to some extent and now he felt years older than he was. Some days he even questioned why he needed to keep going at all. Why not give in to the inevitable? His past would catch up with him and he would have to face more consequences._

 _All his dreams of dying a glorious death in battle would not be realized anytime soon. To his consternation, Gaea was experiencing a long period of peace and prosperity. No major conflicts loomed ahead. In such a world there did not seem to be any place for him. He was a fighter and he did not know how to be anything else._

 _To survive, he occasionally acted as a sell-sword, fighting other people's battles for them in exchange for money or supplies. It was degrading but he had learned to swallow his pride when in desperate circumstances. But whenever he earned enough to sustain himself for an acceptable period, he would discreetly disappear into the shadows._

 _He had nearly travelled through all of Gaea. After his exile had been declared in Asturia, he departed for Basram and spend some time wandering there before eventually reached Zaibach, or whatever was left of it. Seeing the wasteland his country had become, he decided not to linger there, but to leave the past behind him quite literally. There was nothing to return to and he needed to keep moving._

 _After consulting his map for a while longer, he had some idea of where he was headed. Dawn was about to break so he extinguished his fire and gathered his meager belongings. The sunlight spread over the mountains._

 _"Time to get going again," he thought with a sigh and resumed his journey._

.

.

.

Merle took a deep breath and inhaled the sea breeze. She was standing on a deck of a ship that had just left the port of Cesario and that was heading towards Daedalus. The weather was fair and it seemed like the voyage would be a very smooth one.

She was looking forward to visiting the mountains of Daedalus because she had heard that there were still some tribes of beast-people who had settlements in that territory. She was eager to meet them to explore more of their world. There were few enough of her kind in Gaea left so it was important for them to build stronger ties with those who remained.

She had spent the last couple of years travelling around Gaea, a treat she had allowed herself after Fanelia had significantly recovered from the ravages of war. She realized that, as much as she loved Fanelia and the Fanels, for so much of her life she had been stuck in one place, standing by their side, no matter where they went. And while she was still loyal to a fault, there was a yearning in her for her own adventures, for a life beyond simply being an adoptive Fanel.

So she had set off on her adventure, with Van's full support and assurance that he would not get in her way. He still worried about her but he knew well enough that she could take care of herself. And he wanted her to have a chance to fulfill her lifelong dreams. She deserved happiness after all that she had been through.

As Merle travelled all over, she felt that she was finally answering a call from deep inside her, a desire that had been there all her life but that she never had the luxury of indulging. At least, not until the end of the war. She had journeyed farther than she could have imagined, and though there was still so much she wanted to see.

She had started by visiting Asturia where Princess Millerna had welcome her warmly and they had spent a few weeks travelling around the country and discovering new things. Merle enjoyed the princess' company and even spent some time getting to know Princess Eries and Celena Schezar, with whom she became fast friends.

She then passed briefly through Basram before proceeding to Zaibach. The cat-girl didn't know what had possessed her to visit such a desolate place and one that brought back so many painful memories. Perhaps she had wanted to see for herself that the former empire was really no longer a threat to the current peace. Seeing the wreckage had brought some relief but had also made her feel a twinge of pity for all those who had been displaced by the war and who had had to suffer the consequences of an emperor's madness.

But Zaibach was not a suitable place to visit so she had proceeded to Cesario where she had also spent some time making new friends and learning about different cultures. She thoroughly enjoyed her stay there before deciding to make the sea journey to Daedalus. The timing had been fortuitous as a ship had been just about to depart when she chose to become a passenger.

She was never sure of what she would find in every new place she visited, but that was part of the fun. This was the indescribable thrill that she sought constantly as she made her way around Gaea. And something told her there were greater adventures to come, if she kept her courage and continued down her current path.

"I need to keep moving forward," she thought with a smile, "Life's far too interesting for me to stop now."


End file.
